Chapter 8: Collaps
The hall inside Hyuri's palace was filled with tension.
No one spoke.
No one moved.
Then—
Yura's expression changed.
His eyes sharpened suddenly, cutting through the silence.
"I'm sensing something…" he said quietly.
"A very powerful energy."
Everyone looked at him.
"And I'm going to find out what it is."
Hyuri frowned slightly.
"I can feel it too," she said.
"But… this isn't the Dragon God's energy."
Yura nodded.
"Yeah. It's different."
Ryuha tilted his head.
"Then what do we do?" he asked calmly.
"Should we follow it?"
Yura closed his eyes briefly, focusing.
"I can't trace its direction yet," he muttered.
"It's… scattered."
A pause.
"I'll need a little time to lock onto it."
The room fell silent again.
Far away—
The battlefield above the Demon Kingdom had turned into hell.
Rox stood before Iera, his full power radiating outward like a storm.
"Hey," he said casually, tilting his head.
"Let me ask you something."
Iera's body trembled slightly under the pressure.
"W-What…?"
Rox grinned.
"Why do you have a girl's name?" he laughed.
"You're a guy, right?"
Iera's eyes burned with anger.
"Don't mock my name."
But inside—
Fear crept in.
His energy… it's completely different now…
I can't beat him…
Lord Yura… where are you…?
Rox smirked.
"What happened?" he said.
"You were talking big just a moment ago."
Not far away—
Rex stood before Twras.
"Oi," he called out lazily.
"What's wrong now? You were pretty confident earlier."
Twras said nothing.
But his thoughts raced.
His energy… it's increased again…
This isn't normal…
This is… on the level of a High Ranker…
No… even beyond that…
From a distance, Ursula and Ren shouted together—
"Do you need help?!"
Their voices echoed across the battlefield.
Rox moved.
No warning.
No buildup.
Just—
movement.
Faster than sound.
Before Iera could react—
A punch.
It slammed into his body and sent him flying backward.
He crashed across the ground, barely managing to stay conscious.
Pain shot through his body.
At the same time—
Rex attacked.
His fist shot toward Twras.
Twras barely dodged, the force grazing past him.
He staggered—
Then steadied himself.
"Divine Fist."
Blue energy surged into both his arms.
An aura erupted around his body.
In the next instant—
He moved.
A punch—
directly into Rex.
The impact landed.
But—
Rex didn't move.
Not even an inch.
Silence.
Then—
Rex smiled.
"Rune Sword."
A blade materialized in his hand.
Before Twras could react—
The sword pierced straight through his chest.
A scream tore through the battlefield.
Twras's body trembled violently—
Then Rex pulled the blade free and threw him aside.
Twras hit the ground—
And didn't move.
Unconscious.
Shock spread instantly.
Iera froze.
Ren's eyes widened.
Ursula clenched her fists.
Without hesitation—
Ursula charged forward.
But Rex raised one hand—
and stopped her.
Effortlessly.
Before she could react—
The blade struck again.
Straight through her abdomen.
Blood spilled.
But—
Ursula didn't fall.
With trembling hands, she grabbed the blade—
and forced it out of her own body.
She staggered backward.
Barely able to stand.
We can't win…
Yura… where are you…?
Her legs gave out.
She collapsed.
Unconscious.
"Ursula!!"
Ren's voice shook.
Her thoughts spiraled.
This… can't be happening…
She's the strongest among us…
And even she—
Our High Rankers aren't even here…
Most of our forces are protecting the civilians…
What do we do…?
We can't… win this…
Before she could think further—
Rox appeared in front of her.
He grabbed her by the throat.
Lifting her effortlessly.
Her eyes widened.
She looked around—
Iera was down.
Twras was down.
Ursula was down.
Rox grinned.
"Rampage."
He threw her away—
And released a massive blast of energy.
Far away—
Inside Hyuri's palace—
Riyu suddenly stepped forward.
His expression dark.
"I have a bad feeling…" he said.
"It feels like something terrible just happened."
He clenched his fist.
"And this energy… it's everywhere."
Zack nodded grimly.
"Because of this… Lord Yura can't properly sense anything."
Yura's eyes snapped open.
"I found it."
Everyone turned toward him.
"There's one place… where the energy is concentrated the most."
His voice turned sharp.
"We're going there."
"Yes!"
Everyone responded at once.
The next instant—
Space twisted.
And all of them vanished.
End of Chapter 8